Ultimatum Interval: Hope
by BrunetteAmbitionxo
Summary: Set during Bourne Ultimatum. Extension of certain scenes with some original content. OTP centric.


Imagine this is happening simultaneously to Bourne Ultimatum. Just my take on some of the scenes. Follows the exact same sequence of events as the film.

-Tangier, Morocco-

Nicky stirred, slowly regaining her senses. She could hear the commotion coming from down the hall and her mind went into overdrive. Scrambling to her feet and ignoring the searing pain she felt from Desh knocking her out, she headed towards the ruckus.

They were in the bathroom. Bourne had a towel wrapped around Desh's neck but Desh wasn't going down without a fight. Panic had set in, his arms were flailing and his legs were kicking. Jason had the upper hand though, constantly moving out of the way of Desh's feeble assault attempts. Until Desh managed to get a lucky shot in. He kicked Jason in the crotch, knocking him backwards. Recovering impossibly fast, Desh stood up. He was advancing on Jason.

A shot rung out. Desh lurched backwards and slumped into the same corner where moments ago he would have been killed by strangulation. Instead, blood was now seeping through his top.

It took a few seconds for Jason to regain himself now that the immediate threat was over. He was panting hard and fast, staring at Desh. He turned to look at where the shot had been fired from and saw Nicky standing in the doorway with his SIG in her hands. She had the perfect kill stance. He was surprised but not shocked. She was CIA after all.

Nicky was staring at Desh's lifeless body. Her face paled. Her arms were still stretched outwards. She could feel Jason's eyes on her, yet, she didn't flinch. Jason was searching her face, he could see the adrenalin had dilated her pupils and visibly she was trying to control her breathing. She hadn't processed what she had done. Avoiding meeting her eyes, he slowly approached her.

Bourne put his hand on top of the barrel and gently pushed the gun down. Nicky felt her arms lowering and turned towards Jason, her breath hitched in her throat as she accidentally met his eyes. Instantly, Jason looked down and took his weapon out of her hands, he marched over to Desh and took his phone out of his pocket.

"Code it in. We need to be dead." He shoved the phone into Nicky's hands and hurried past her. Nicky followed Jason with her eyes then glanced back at Desh before leaving the same way Bourne did.

-Back in the motel room-

"None of it makes it any better."

Nicky gently placed her hand on top of Bourne's. She desperately wanted to soothe him, like she had always done. Jason looked up from the contact and met Nicky's eyes for the first time since Desh.

Nicky was the first one speak. "You didn't kill him. I did. You don't need to remember his name."

Jason blinked at her. She had caught him off-guard for the second time that day.

"Who taught you how to shoot like that?" Her aim was perfect; she couldn't have learnt it from basic weapons training.

Nicky took a deep breath in, contemplating if she should tell him. Her gaze shifted towards her feet and her mouth went dry.

She swallowed. "You did." Nicky glimpsed back up at Jason who was taking in her words. She wasn't lying.

"They're gonna come for you again. You're gonna have to run now." Nicky withdrew her hand. His words stung, more than they should have done. She weighed it all up, after what had happened to Marie, Jason would not risk her anymore than he already had done. Besides, he really didn't remember anything.

The reality of her situation was beginning to set in. She had to face up to the decision she had made in Madrid when she told Bourne her car was outside and she knew where Daniels was.

Jason was watching her. He could see that his words had hurt Nicky but couldn't make out the reason why. She must have known what she was getting into.

Nicky got up and retreated into the bathroom leaving Bourne alone to his thoughts. Jason watched her go and his gaze lingered on the now ajar bathroom door. Part of him wanted to comfort Nicky as best he could, part of him didn't want to get close to her at the risk of her ending up like Marie, and part of him couldn't get past the fact that she was Treadstone.

Getting off the grid and surviving was what she had to do now. He couldn't drag her along with him anymore. At least he had taught her how to defend herself, even if he couldn't remember it. Jason sighed. Why had he taught her that? Had she been in danger before? Jason's head began to ache. His vision was clouding.

 _-Woodland, Outskirts of France-_

 _A gun was fired three times._

 _"_ _Again." Jason stood, arms folded across his chest, looking at a blonde woman._

 _"_ _Jason.."_

 _"_ _Again." He was firm with her._

 _"_ _I'm not going to get this." The woman turned to face him. It was Nicky. She was dressed in black jeans and a grey polo neck. She mirrored his attire. She was younger than he had seen her in Paris. He was younger too._

 _"_ _You need to perfect your kill shot."_

 _"_ _Isn't that your job?" Nicky said sarcastically causing a slight smirk to appear on Jason's face before he stalked over to her._

 _"_ _Injuring someone who is tasked with killing you isn't going to stop them."_

 _"_ _But it will slow them down."_

 _"_ _Not good enough. Again."_

 _Nicky took her stance. Jason stepped behind her and put his arms around her, holding her hands in his, as she held the gun. "Relax Nicky, you're allowed to breathe, just control it." Nicky did as she was told._

 _"_ _Aim." Nicky aimed for the target. Jason moved her hands slightly to the right._

 _"_ _Fire." He whispered into her ear. Nicky couldn't hide the shiver that went down her spine as she pulled the trigger. She hit the target in the centre._

 _Nicky gasped. Half smiling, half in disbelief. She turned her head to meet Jason who was beaming with pride and smiling at her. Their faces were mere inches from each other._

-Back in the motel room-

Jason came out of the flashback gasping for air. He shook his head a few times and closed his eyes tightly. When he opened them he was back in Tangier. He'd taken Nicky for what looked liked private lessons. He still didn't understand why. It was possible she had asked. It was also possible that he deemed it necessary. But now he knew what she meant back in Madrid when they were waiting for the Ferry. Not that he didn't believe her. At least now he could picture it; he had a vague idea of the history she was referring to.

They needed to move soon. Jason cleaned himself up and checked the perimeter. He approached the bathroom glancing around before he looked inside and caught Nicky staring at him through the mirror.

Nicky had dyed her hair black and cut it shorter than it already was. Jason was taken aback. She looked like Marie, when he had dyed her hair and cut it shorter for her. But the reflection looking back at him wasn't Marie, it was Nicky. The same Nicky he had taught how to shoot.

Nicky looked at Jason, her eyes telling him that it was ok for him to be looking at her. She didn't feel as uncomfortable as he clearly did. She wanted him to say something. Jason felt the desire to respond to her, her face had so many incomprehensible feelings circling through but logic got the better of him.

"We should go."

Nicky's heart broke. Not that, anything but that. She was good at hiding her emotions but she knew her face had fallen. She didn't break eye contact with him. Jason was still fixated by her. He had noticed the change in her mood. He was about to respond when reason had gotten the better of him again. He wondered why she had dyed her hair the same colour as Marie? Why had she cut it the exact same length? She didn't know Marie. The headache was back.

This time it was worse. Jason stumbled back and hit the wall. Nicky observed from the mirror and hastily moved towards him. His breathing was erratic. He was blinking furiously. He slid down to the floor.

"Bourne." Nicky called out as his vision became blurry.

 _-Paris, France-_

 _"Bourne. How are the headaches?" Nicky was sat opposite him in the safehouse. Jason was watching her intensely._

 _"They're worse at night. Driving aggravates them" Jason was dressed in dark clothes but this time Nicky was wearing a long brown skirt and a beige polo._

 _"Headlights or Streetlights?"_

 _"Both." Nicky made a note on her clipboard._

 _"I'm going to increase your dose." Nicky got up and went to a cabinet. She unlocked it and took out a white bottle. She walked back to Bourne and handed the pills to him._

 _"This should help." Bourne reached up to take the bottle, his eyes never leaving her face. That was a mistake. His fingers brushed against hers as he grasped the bottle. Nicky was shocked by the contact and released the bottle immediately. She rushed back to her seat._

 _Nicky cleared her throat. "That's all for this session." She began scribbling down more notes onto her clipboard._

 _"Are you afraid of me?"_

 _Nicky's head shot up. She looked him up and down. His demeanour didn't give anything away. She couldn't understand why he was asking her this. Her eyes met Jason's. She didn't feel fear like she had done with the other assets before. She wanted to see where he was going with this._

 _"No. I'm not."_

 _"You should be."_

 _"Why?"_

 _"Because I'm a killer."_

 _Nicky sighed. She was finally having a proper conversation with an asset. She put the lid back on her ballpoint and rolled the pen through her fingers before setting it down on the clipboard. She carefully thought about what she wanted to say._

 _"You're an assassin. That's your job." She licked her lips nervously. She didn't want to agitate him unintentionally. "Off the record, you serve your country, your job is your patriotic duty, if that scared me then I wouldn't be here."_

 _Jason was impressed. Nicky had remained calm the whole time. He smiled at her reassuringly._

 _"Call me Jason."_

* * *

 _Jason was in his apartment. The window was open. He sat on a chair at an angle cradling his ribs whilst injecting himself with an illegal kind of pain relief._

 _The door opened. He grabbed his gun. A blonde woman walked in. Nicky. She saw his outline in the darkness and made her way to the bathroom. Turning the light on, she searched his cupboards. Nicky pulled out a box and made her way over to him._

 _She turned on a dim lamp next to him and took her scarf and coat off, throwing them onto his bed. She then went to the kitchen and returned with a bowl of clean water._

 _"Can you take your top off?"_

 _Jason eyed her, knowing full well that she would have done it herself if she hadn't been so preoccupied by his injuries. He tugged at the hem and tried to pull it over his head. He couldn't help the grunt that escaped his lips._

 _"Stop." Nicky said, her voice full of concern. She placed the bowl onto the floor and dipped some white rags into it. She opened the box and took out a pair of scissors. She began cutting away his shirt. His skin was black and blue and purple and yellow all over. She couldn't bear to look._

 _"Nicky.." Jason began but by now Nicky had snapped out of it and was dabbing a wet cloth over his chest. Jason closed his eyes in relief. She stitched his wounds and wrapped bandages around his ribs before wiping the cut above his left eye. Jason was now staring at her and she couldn't bring herself to meet his gaze._

 _He reached out for her wrist and slowed her movements. "It looks worse than it is."_

 _Nicky finally locked eyes with him and all she could see was pain and love. Jason could see her sorrow and worry. Tears were forming in her eyes. He wanted to end her torment. Nicky's phone rang._

 _Nicky got up and went to retrieve her cell out of her coat pocket. She wiped her eyes and headed towards the bathroom._

 _"Has Bourne called in yet?" Conklin barked at her down the other end._

 _Nicky glanced back at Jason who was watching her closely. "Not yet sir. I'll let you know the minute he does." Nicky ended the call abruptly._

 _Jason got up and followed Nicky's footsteps. His pain was now a dull beat. He looked at her through the mirror._

 _"How long do we have?" Nicky whispered as she turned to face Jason._

 _"About an hour." Jason replied instantaneously._

 _"We shouldn't do this. You're hurt. Conklin could find out." Nicky was on the verge of breaking down. She was always so strong. It pained him to see her like this._

 _"Shhh." Jason reached for her, pulling her close. He held her and kissed the top of her head before holding her face in his hands._

 _"You're my lifeline Nicky." He captured her lips roughly. The need evident as he pushed her backwards into his bedroom._

* * *

 _They were in bed together. A strange room this time. A thin sheet barely wrapped around them. Nicky was resting her head on top of Jason's chest, tracing a scar on his right shoulder. Bourne had one arm enveloping her whilst the other was caressing the dip at her waist, between her breast and her hip. Drawing circles on her creamy skin. She was beautiful. He felt at peace._

* * *

 _Jason was on the edge of a bed, wearing his boxers. Nicky was behind him, leaning against the headrest, wearing a shirt that was two sizes too big. It was his shirt. It looked better on her._

 _He handed her a passport. She opened it. 'Jane Ward'._

 _"Are you sure they won't trace this?" Nicky looked at the picture. She looked different. Her hair had been digitally coloured black. It was also a lot shorter._

 _"Positive"_

 _Nicky sighed with relief. "When?"_

 _"Soon." Jason turned to her and placed a hand on her cheek, bringing her eyes to meet his. "If something goes wrong, they can never know. You can't trust anyone. If they ask you to burn me, you do it. No questions asked."_

 _"Jason.." Nicky began to protest._

 _"Promise me Nicky."_

 _Nicky hesitates. "I promise."_

 _"You stick with them. Don't ask questions. Don't raise eyebrows. They'll look after you as long as you're loyal to them." Jason took a deep breath and pulled Nicky closer. "Be ready. I'll come for you. I'll find you." He leaned in and kissed her deeply. This time it was less need and more want._

 _Nicky reluctantly pulled back. "Be safe." She whispered against his lips._

 _"I'll see you at the office." Jason got up to leave._

 _"Jason." He paused at the door and glanced back at her but all he could see was white._

-Back in the motel room-

"Jason." Nicky was concerned, she had seen this before in the safe-house, the night Conklin died. But this was more intense. Jason had been in a trance like state for a few minutes now. He was sweating and she was sure he was on the verge of having a fit. Nicky tentatively reached for his face, placing the back of her hand on his forehead. Suddenly, Jason had her wrist in a vice like grip. His eyes were wide with fever. Nicky ignored the bruises beginning to form underneath his hold.

"You're burning up."

Her words seemed to register and Jason released her apologetically. Nicky stood up and went into the bathroom, grabbing a plastic cup and filling it with cold water from the tap.

Jason got up and moved towards the bed, dropping the weight of his body onto the mattress. He held his head in his hands. Nicky was his lover, or he was Nicky's. No, it couldn't have been just an affair. He didn't understand. This knowledge was unfathomable.

Nicky treaded carefully out of the bathroom. She saw Jason hunched over on the bed. Her heart shattered completely. He really was broken.

"Here, drink."

Jason didn't look up. He obediently took the cup from her and gulped it down in one go before returning it to Nicky. Nicky took it and placed it on the bedside table. She knelt down cautiously in front of him.

"Who was I?"

This time it was Nicky's turn to be caught off-guard. One minute Jason wanted to send her away, into hiding. The next he wanted to sit down and talk about his past with her. What the hell had he remembered?

"They gave you so many identities; Chivere, Lee, Kane, Bourne.."

Jason interrupted her. "No. Who was I to you?" He looked up and stared directly into her soul.

Nicky felt like the air had just been knocked out of her. The emotions she had kept tightly locked were coming back up, just like they did at the rest stop in Madrid, except this time it was possible they would reach the surface.

She froze. Unable to find the words. She licked her lips nervously. "I…we…"

Jason studied her face. This was too hard for her. "What were you, to me?"

"I was your local contact." The words came out of her mouth like a recital.

"What else?" Bourne demanded. He had seen it but he needed to hear it from her.

There was no hesitation in his question. He knows. The secret history they shared together was no longer undisclosed from him. He had unlocked more memories. Memories of her. Nicky took a deep breath and let go. "We…we were together."

Jason's eyes filled with anguish. He hadn't just forgotten his life. He had forgotten her's too. She was his life in more ways than one. They had dangerously mixed business with pleasure and she had been burnt. Scratch that. They both had been.

Had she done the right thing? Revealing her secret. Their secret. She couldn't control herself any longer. She needed to know. Nicky began to lean into him. If Jason so much as flinched, she would stop.

He had been sinking ever since Marie died and now he didn't feel like he was drowning anymore. Time had taken them to different places, but Nicky had never let go. He could see that as she was coming towards him. The guilt he thought he would feel for even toying with the idea of kissing her and betraying Marie was surprisingly nonexistent. With this new information, he had actually betrayed Nicky. There was a reason he could never kill her. Maybe thats why he let her move closer to his face. He didn't overthink or calculate this. He let it happen.

Nicky brushed her lips against his agonisingly slow. "Let me love you." She whispered.

Jason eyes widened in response. She loved him. Did he love her? He needed to find out. Jason grabbed the back of her neck, pulling her into his lap unceremoniously. His lips crashed onto hers. A kiss so powerful, that it would last them both a lifetime. It was laced with lust, regret, promise and love.

Nicky pushed off his jacket. Her fingers began to dig into his back. Jason's hands moved surely down to her waist, kneading her visible skin. Nicky let out a moan. Jason was surprised by how much he wanted to hear that sound over and over again. It was music to his ears. Jason wanted more.

He tore away her vest revealing a black scalloped lace bra. Jason caught sight of it and removed his lips from her mouth. He ducked down wanting to sample her flesh. He began sucking her neck, whilst his hand explored her breast, her nipples hardening beneath his touch. Nicky moaned in approval. Oh what a beautiful sound he thought.

Nicky found the hem of his shirt and pulled it over his head causing them to separate. Before logic had a chance to rear its ugly head, Nicky attacked his lips. Jason allowed himself to fall back onto the bed pulling Nicky with him.

Nicky explored his warm naked chest, feathering kisses with her mouth as she went lower and lower. She was lavishing him with attention.

 _A brief flash in Jason's mind and he saw Nicky doing the exact same thing. This time however her hair was blonde and longer. It was tickling his sides as she trailed down to his navel. A younger Jason began to wrap his fingers in her tresses before he hauled her back up to him and flipped them over. He held her hand above her head. Their fingers interlocked. Jason started to bite her collar. Nicky threw her head back and grabbed his hair with her free hand, digging her nails in._

Jason tugged at Nicky to meet his eyes. He wanted to explore her body once again. He wanted to re-discover her sensitivities. He wanted her. So he flipped them over and followed the familiar way their hands intertwined and how Nicky's back arched when he bit into her collarbone leaving his mark. They fit together perfectly.

"Please." Nicky whimpered.

Jason obliged and they joined together in a way they had done a long time ago. Nicky had only ever been with one man intimately and now she was with him again. Her body had yearned for his touch and he had showered her with as much focus as he could muster. They were jumping off the edge together, their throaty cries culminating in each others name before drawing them both into a deep sleep.

* * *

Nicky woke up first. She was naked and a body was pressed up against her. Jason was lying on his side. His leg wrapped around hers and his arm curled at her waist. Nicky smiled. One of them had to be awake and since Jason was in the midst of a deep cycle, she would happily take this watch.

Nicky untangled herself from Jason, careful not to disturb him. She padded across the floor to his shirt, putting it on. She was bombarded by old scents she had forgotten. She had missed this. She found his gun and placed it on the bedside table when Jason began tossing and turning. He was having a nightmare.

Nicky got back into bed leaning against the wall. She stroked her fingers through his hair. "Shh. You're safe." Jason stopped twisting and writhing. He settled immediately at the sound of her voice. Back into the calm. Some things never change. Nicky let her hand roam through Jason's hair whilst she turned her attention to the door. If anything dared to disturb Jason's sleep, she was ready.

* * *

Jason woke up with a start. It was late. He could feel her hand in his hair. He turned to see Nicky looking down at him with a reassuring smile. He couldn't help but flash her a lazy smile back. He sat up and leaned against the adjacent wall.

"What happened?"

Nicky's face dropped. Had he forgotten her already? Had he forgotten last night? Their reunion.

Jason noticed the change in her mood and quickly corrected himself. "I slept?" Jason asked.

Nicky's smile returned. "Yeah, you did."

Jason was surprised. "I haven't slept like that in a while."

Nicky's smile wavered. "Since Marie?"

Jason felt guilty. Nicky wasn't ready to hear about the other woman he loved.

"It's ok Jason."

Jason was taken aback.

"You were out, and you were broken. I'm glad you had someone."

Jason felt the confusion leave him. He was flooded with relief. Nicky had understood. Maybe in time, wherever Marie was, she would understand too.

Reality edged back into Nicky's mind. Her face became serious. "They're not gonna let you go. They need to bring you home in a body bag."

Jason's gaze harded. His face became cold. "Someone made me what I am. And I'm gonna find him."

Nicky knew it was time. They gathered their belongings and headed to the bus station.

-Tangier Bus Station-

Jason was at a locker packing a bag for her.

"Just get a simple story and stick to it. And just remember, if something feels wrong, it probably is; just get out, go somewhere else, start over. Are you listening?"

Nicky had heard it all before. A long time ago. She looked up. "Yeah."

"They're gonna come after you"

Nicky looked back down.

They walked in silence towards the bus. Jason stopped and Nicky turned around to face him. He was looking around. Nicky glanced about too before she met his eyes. She wanted to reach out and touch him one last time. Hug him. Say goodbye. But she knew she couldn't. If she did, she wouldn't be able to let him go.

Jason could see the torment she was going through. He wanted to say something. But he knew if he said the wrong thing, he wouldn't be able to let her go. Nicky turned away from him and hurried towards her bus.

"It gets easier." Jason called out.

Nicky turned to him with a small smile. That wasn't what she wanted to hear but at least he said something. Nicky got on to the bus and made her way down the aisle. She found two empty seats and sat down next to the window. She saw that Jason had left, catching the back of him before he disappeared amongst the crowd. Nicky felt empty. It was harder the second time around.

She glanced down at the satchel of supplies Jason had gifted her with. It was the only thing she had of his now. She opened it and noticed a square piece of paper in one of the pockets. She took it out and unfolded it.

 ** _'I'll find you.'_**

Nicky felt tears brimming in the corners of her eyes. She looked out the window at where Jason had stood moments ago. A smile danced upon her lips. She felt something she hadn't in a long time. Hope.

-Coffee Shop, Somewhere in Europe-

Nicky smiled knowingly. David Webb also known as Jason Bourne was alive. After a three day search they still hadn't found a body. The small flame of hope began to burn brighter. She looked down at her book. He was coming for her.

An uneasy feeling washed over Nicky. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up. Someone was watching her. Nicky couldn't breathe. Ok, don't panic. She was in public after all. It's not like they would kill her with so many witnesses about. Just relax. Act natural. She began planning her escape. Working through an exit plan.

They were advancing on her. Shit.

"Is this seat taken?"

Nicky couldn't help the breath that escaped her lips. She recognised his voice.

"No."

He walked around the table and pulled out the chair opposite to her. He sat down. Nicky finally looked up. Their eyes met.

"Jason." He had found her.

"You don't seem surprised to see me."

Nicky smiled slyly. "You can hold your breath for a long time."

Silence.

Nicky studied him closely. He looked exhausted. She closed her book.

Licking her lips nervously. "Now what?"

"Help me get off the grid. Help me remember."

Nicky finally felt at peace. Jason had been lost to her for a long time now. He had finally returned, He had been somewhat found.

Nicky smiled at him lovingly. Jason felt something he hadn't felt in a long time. Hope.


End file.
